


Of Dwarves and Textbooks

by theimaginesyouneveraskedfor



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-27
Updated: 2016-02-27
Packaged: 2018-05-23 10:30:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6113749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theimaginesyouneveraskedfor/pseuds/theimaginesyouneveraskedfor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The reader is transported to Middle Earth with nothing but her textbooks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Dwarves and Textbooks

The night had been a sleepless one and you stifled another yawn as you struggled to balance the half-dozen textbooks in your arms. You had no way of maneuvering yourself to look at your watch but you were certain you would be late. An idea which made your nerves flurry as you had never been less than early in your life.

The only blessing this day was the warm sun that shone down upon the campus streets, bathing the pavement in its smooth morning light. Only another corner and you would be there….but then there would be six flights of stairs to fight your way up. You pushed the dread away as the sun shifted suddenly and a faint roll of thunder rippled across the sky. Of course; had you been thankful for the grass, it would have shriveled up and died.

Another clap of thunder rolled, this time closer and the spontaneous spray of spring rain whipped around you, followed by a blinding flash of lightning. Your vision had gone so white you were sure you had been struck and the anxiety once again stirred your stomach. Finally, the landscape became less blurry, revealing a foreign and unsettling sight. This was not your college campus…you did not know where this was.

Oh god, did I die? You thought as looked around you, the rain quickened and began to run down your brow, soaking your hair and clothes. If this was heaven, it was a disappointment and if it was hell, well…You did not feel dead. Perhaps, it was a dream but this was more lucid than any fantasy or nightmare your mind had ever summoned.

Heaven or hell. Purgatory or the land of dreams. You could not stand in the rain forever, already your blouse and jeans were sodden. Tall stone cliffs loomed behind you, the green plains slowly turning to swamp to the front. You turned and took your first step, sure that you would fall through the ground and back to campus. Nothing.

Another step and another until you broke into a sprint, the water pelting you harder and the mud thickening with every step. You could see a dark opening in the side of the cliffs and it seemed your only haven; if a bear did not lurk there that was.

The text books remained heavy in your arms and you wondered why they would accompany you to the afterlife, maybe it was hell. Finally you came upon the mouth of the cave and ran into its shelter, your fear rising as you went further into the darkness. You paused and leaned against the sharp wall of the cave, breathing heavily, stifling a shiver against the water in your clothing.

Turning away from the wall of rain outside, you looked into the darkness. A hint of light seemed to bleed through the black and the shadows moved ever so slightly. The rain pattered noisily behind you and yet there was something else, distant but steady….voices. There was someone else in this cave, surely more than just one.

You weighed your options, though neither one seemed wise. If you remained in the mouth of the cave, the winds would continue to blow the rain in, making it no better than standing amid the storm. Go deeper and face whoever was down there and possibly a worse fate. Yet even if you stayed near the opening, another could wander and find you there….Damn it.

You forced yourself towards the faint shadows and smothered voices. As they grew louder, you held back another shiver, this time not from the cold rain which drenched your clothes. You came upon the source of noise and light, staying hidden behind a tall stone while peeking upon the unsettling scene. Fourteen men sat around a fire, loudly chattering with each other, all but one clad in thick furs, worn leather, and heavy mail. Thirteen of them were thick of body and larger than yourself, the smaller one was nearer to your own size.

As you looked upon the collection of men, you pondered turning back and would have done so had the text books not begun to slip from your grasp. You stumbled to keep them aloft and kicked a stone, causing an echoing clamour to silence the men on the other side of the stone.

“Who is there?” A deep voice commanded and you stayed still and silent. “I will not ask again.”

The voice grew louder, moving nearer and your panic climaxed. You stepped out from behind the stone and heaved your heavy text books towards the men. The one who had been heading towards you was caught in the shoulder by the rather thick Intoduction to Psychology. The other books flew further and hit three of the other men and you turned to run the other way.

A strong hand held you back before you took your third step and you were pulled back into the light as you struggled to get away. The man who had taken the Psychology tome to the shoulder held onto you, more irritated than angry. He glared down at you and the other men stood readied with their axes and swords.

“Who are you?” The man demanded again and you could only stare at him fearfully. His hair was long and black with a matching beard, a few strands of gray running through his thick mane. “Well.” He clutched your arm tighter.

“Um…” You looked around nervously.

“She is but a tiny maid,” Said the eldest man, his beard long and white, “Set aside your weapons and perhaps she will find her voice.”

The men slowly set aside their arms but continued to stare suspiciously towards you. You gathered your nerves and forced yourself to say something, “I’m lost…” You began, but stumbled, “I mean, I am not lost, ‘lost’ is not my name—I don’t know where I am, is what I mean.”

The dark-haired man let go of your arm after a moment, “No doubt far from home.” He commented, “This is no place for one such as yourself.”

“If I knew where I was, I am sure I would agree,” You rubbed your arm where he had gripped so tightly.

“Here, my lady,” The older man approached you, holding out a brown cloak, “You must be cold from the rains.”

“Thank you,” You gratefully took the cloak and wrapped it around yourself, “I am sorry for intruding, but I was walking to class and suddenly I was…here.” You tried to explain but felt certain you sounded crazy.

“To class?” Another man questioned, “I’ve never heard of such a place.”

“Well, it’s not really a place, it means a sort of lecture or presentation. School, you know.” You cringed at your own words, “But I think I am much to far to get there now.” You looked around but they all looked as confused as you, “I’m sorry about throwing those books at you,” You said to them.

You looked down at the upturned texts and bent to pick them up, gathering them from around the ground. “I’ll be on my way, though,” You set down the books and went to remove the cloak.

“You’ll do no such thing,” The elder man intervened while the dark-haired one shot him a look, “The rain is much too heavy, you will wait it out. Please, sit.” He gestured towards a place around the fire burning in the background.

“Thank you again,” You said sheepishly, crossing the cave floor to sit in front of the fire among the other men who continued to watch you.

“Your name, my lady?” The elder man resumed his seat across the fire, but the dark-haired man stayed standing as he watched silently.

“It’s not 'my lady',” You tried to joke but failed, “It’s [Y/N].”

“Well, [Y/N], I am Balin,” He introduced himself with a smile before continuing, “That is Thorin Oakenshield, our leader,” He gestured to the man who had accosted you, “Then you have his nephews, Kili and Fili,” He pointed to two of the younger men, one blonde and one brunette, and continued down the line, “Dwalin,” A fierce looking bald man, “Nori, Ori,” The two shared the same auburn hair, “Gloin, Oin,” The former red-haired and the second grey, “Bofur, Bombur,” One slender and dark-haired, the next red-haired and round, “Dori, Bifur,” The first grey-haired, the second a bush of black and white, “And Bilbo.” The last and seemingly least was the smallest, with curly blonde hair and a nervous air about him.

“Oh,” You tried to smile in a friendly manner, “I’ll try to remember them all,” You said more to yourself.

“How does one get lost in the middle of a plain?” The one called Kili asked bemusedly.

“Bad luck,” You replied, abashed.

“Good luck, I’d say,” His blond companion corrected, “You found us,” He grinned, “And not Orcs.”

“Orcs…” You repeated, confused.

“Yeah, orcs,” Kili confirmed, “You've never heard them?”

“Um, are they a type of bear?” You ventured a guess.

“Worse,” Answered Kili in a solemn tone.

“Oh,” You felt like some sort of moron, “I guess I’ll look out for them.”

“See that you do,” The bald Dwalin ordered sternly, “They’re not so nice as us dwarves…and hobbit.”

“Dwarves?” You pondered, “But you are much too big to be dwarves, much larger than me.”

“Run into one of them Orcs and you’ll see that we are,” Dwalin replied.

“But what’s a hobbit?” You asked.

“A hobbit is me,” Bilbo spoke for the first time.

“Okay…” You tried to process what was happening, “Am I dead?”

“Dead?” Kili laughed, “I should think not, ghosts are much less friendly.”

“Oh,” You felt even dumber, “Then where am I?”

“Middle Earth,” The hobbit supplied.

“Middle Earth?” You repeated, “I’ve never heard of it.”

“Never heard of it,” Balin echoed, “Where else could you have come from?”

“Earth, normal Earth.” You answered.

“Hmmm,” Balin seemed to sort through his own thoughts, “Did you hit your head, dearie?”

“No, but I may have been struck by lightning,” You explained.

“It would explain a lot,” Thorin offered.

“Thorin,” Balin reproached, “Do not listen to him. You just get yourself warm and try to clear your mind.”

“Right,” You said hopelessly, “Thanks.”

You looked into the flames and tried to stifle your embarrassment as the dwarves turned their attention back to their previous chatter. You wondered if the stress of school had pushed you into some sort of psychotic break but didn’t remember reading anything about Dwarves and Hobbits in your psych textbook. Thunder shook the cave and you held back a squeak of surprise, huddling beneath the cloak.

You still had no idea where you were or what was going on, but at least you hadn’t run into a bear…or whatever an Orc was.


End file.
